Rumors continue to spread suggesting PlayStation is working on a mid-gen upgrade for the PS5, and comments from Take-Two Interactive have added fuel to the fire. The studio's CEO expects not just PlayStation, but also Xbox to launch upgraded versions of its latest consoles in the near future.
Gamesindustry.biz asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick if he believes the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will get mid-gen upgrades, a common practice in previous generations for both companies (via VGC). “We probably will,” was Zelnick's short answer, adding that the mid-gen upgrades for PS4 and Xbox One didn't affect business much.
PlayStation and Xbox usually hit gamers with mid-gen upgrade news around three years after a console launch, and the third anniversaries of both the Series X and the PS5 are fast approaching. This generation has been very different from any to have come before it, though. The pandemic made both consoles hard to find for almost two years, meaning many who have wanted to join the new generation since it began have only just been able to hop on the bandwagon.
That may mean mid-gen consoles are held back for a little longer than usual, although as noted above, it has been heavily rumored PlayStation has something in the works. Not necessarily a PS5 Pro or Slim, although a listing on an Australian website hinted that might be in the pipeline, but a new model with a detachable disc drive.
Although the PS5 has had a digital version since launch, it's claimed the upgraded console will come with a disc drive you can attach and remove at will. A patent filed by Sony for a device that sounds like exactly that has compounded the belief that's what PlayStation has in the works.
Xbox is arguably the platform that needs a mid-gen upgrade the most, although even though its sales aren't close to the PS5's, the Series X hit two million sold in the UK faster than the Switch managed to this week. Speaking of the Switch, Zelnick confirmed Take-Two will continue making games for the Nintendo console despite talk of it being replaced by a new model next year. It was feared Take-Two had already left the Switch behind after it canceled the Nintendo port of Midnight Suns.
The biggest takeaway from Zelnick's comments was the CEO all-but confirming GTA 6 is currently slated to launch at some point during the next financial year, so between April 2024 and March 2025. Zelnick said Take-Two is expecting a huge jump in sales during that period connected to groundbreaking titles that will set new standards in the video game industry. That sounds a lot like a new Grand Theft Auto game if you ask me.